“If you can do it, you have to do it and not complain.” The 23-year-old Thomas Hillenbrand from Puchheim is today in constituency one to cast his vote for the federal election. Hillenbrand is a member of the Puchheim CSU and the district association of the Junge Union – he sees the right to vote as a privilege: “In many other countries, people cannot vote. Here they can. So you have to vote,” emphasizes Hillenbrand.
That is how Pascal E., who came to the Puchheim secondary school today to cast his vote, sees it. Because it is his first general election, he takes his role as a voter very seriously. “I read through the election programs of all parties represented in the Bundestag in advance,” says the 21-year-old from Puchheim. For him, it goes without saying that people should exercise their right to vote: “In 1848 people died to fight for their right to vote – I have the right and that’s why I use it.” According to Pascal, whoever decides against the election cannot have any influence, but every vote would count.
So he enters the new building of the secondary school and walks past Sabrina and Tobias Mahn. The couple conducts a survey for the television station ZDF. The collected data serve as the basis for the forecasts in the evening. Every third voter is given a blue clipboard. But not everyone wants to take part in the survey. “Elderly people in particular do not understand that this is anonymous. They think that they have to write who they have chosen by stating their name,” explains Tobias Mahn. When you’re not handing out polls, tell people what room they need to go to. “Constituency 12?” Asks a man. “Yes, just go straight through the door,” replies Tobias Mahn. “Because we’re sitting right next to the entrance, everyone thinks we’re working here. But we’re doing pretty well as signposts, aren’t we? Jokes Sabrina Mahn. It’s nothing new for the two of them, because they’re doing it for the eighth time. But this time is not so busy, because there are many postal voters: “There are 949 eligible voters here and 491 of them applied for postal voting,” says Mahn.
The head of the legal office, Christian Kieser, also noticed that the postal voting rate was so high. He stopped by the Jahnhalle in Fürstenfeldbruck and welcomed the electoral board and city councilor Katrin Geißler. “This year we have around 50 percent who have applied for postal votes. In the city center there are of course more. To the outside, however, it decreases. Puch and Eich have the fewest postal voters,” emphasizes Kieser. In Moorenweis, the postal voter turnout is so high that in at least two parts of the municipality it is expected that no more than 50 people will come to the polling station. This means that the counting could not take place there – because the election would then be considered “not secret”. According to electoral officer and mayor Josef Schäffler (CSU), the urns then have to be sealed and taken to another polling station. Voter turnout is also high in other municipalities such as Althegnenberg. According to the electoral board and mayor Rainer Spicker (citizens’ initiative), the turnout this year is a little over 70 percent higher than in the local elections last year.
In the Jahnhalle in Fürstenfeldbruck, Councilor Geissler is standing on the far left of an urn. She ensures that all ballot papers are properly thrown into the ballot box. So far everything has gone really well. “Everyone is absolutely friendly and calm,” emphasizes Geissler.
So that the team knows how to deal with corona deniers or mask refusers, everyone was trained in advance. “If someone comes who is not wearing a mask, then of course we kindly ask them first. We also have masks there in case someone has forgotten them. But if you don’t want to put them on, then you have to wait until there is less going on and you can then vote in compliance with the distances, “explains the city councilor. Nevertheless, the personal details would be recorded and the person reported. So far, however, everything has remained calm.
SPD politician Michael Schrodi also has no concerns: “I think deniers tend not to vote. I’m not worried about that.” Schrodi arrives in the morning by bike at the Geißlfinger elementary school in Olching. He enters the school’s gym with his wife and two children. His children are allowed to watch how you vote today. And how was it? “I am in favor of voting from the age of nine,” beamed son Oscar towards his father. The family spends the rest of the day at a café and cake with friends and relatives – because such good weeks have to be celebrated. “I’m really happy today. The last three months went so well. Now we’re even number one in the polls in the district,” says the family man.
CSU district association member Hillenbrand is certain: “It will be really tight tonight. I think it will be decided between the SPD and the CDU / CSU.” Puchheim’s mayor Norbert Seidl also believes that it will be scarce. “Everyone here is really excited. I think it’s plus minus two percent that decide today,” said Seidl. The mayor rides through the community on his bike and stops at the various polling stations. “Most of the voters are over 65 years of age. But these are also the ones who vote most faithfully,” says Seidl. Voter Lorenzen believes: “This is certainly still an open matter and will be exciting.”
However, it was not everywhere as quiet as in Puchheim, Olching and Fürstenfeldbruck. In Althegnenberg, Rainer Spicker (citizens’ initiative) reports that overnight stickers from the referendum for the removal of the state parliament had been attached to and in the polling station in the sports center – on doors, windows and floors. Stickers with “Söder must go” were also found. A celebration took place there yesterday evening, so the building was open. “The stickers were then removed this morning,” said Spicker. However, according to Spicker, the police were not turned on.